Client applications are generally restricted to displaying data in a configuration that is predetermined by the server application. That is, a user displaying information from a website (e.g., internet, intranet, world wide web, etc.) is restricted to viewing the information in a fixed configuration defined by the website designer. For example, a user viewing information arranged in tabular form on a website is restricted to a fixed set of columns by which the data can be viewed. Even more particularly, a user viewing tabular data on a website, for example, as a result of a database query, is restricted to the output configuration defined by the website designer.
In the existing environment, tabular displays of records are configured during design as desired by the designer of the application (e.g., website, database, etc.). As such, tabular data displays are seldom designed by those who will employ them for drawing conclusions. It is often the case that an application designer, with many different users in mind, does not optimize the configuration for any one user, but, rather, defines a configuration that will be the most beneficial to the greatest number of users. However, the configuration that is defined by the website designer/creator may not always be the most intuitive or informative for a particular user. As a result, a particular user may find it difficult to locate and work with specifically required data for a particular task. Such difficulty can lead to lower efficiency when analyzing data, thereby reducing productivity of the user.
Thus, existing systems do not adequately serve the needs of some users, especially those without specialized training or experience attempting quickly to discern relationships between and among elements in large sets of data. Existing applications typically focus on presenting the data.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.